Preview: Houston Dynamo vs. Los Angeles Galaxy – Prediction, Team News, Lineups

LA Galaxy will be aiming to secure top spot in the MLS Western Conference when they travel to Shell Energy Stadium for the game Houston Dynamo on Sunday morning.

Regardless of the outcome here, both teams will advance to the finals, with the hosts currently in fifth place in the West while the visitors sit atop the conference standings.

Game preview

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Even though Houston can't repeat last season's fourth-place finish, they currently have 51 points, which means that if they take anything from this final, they will surpass their points tally from last season.

The Dynamos are four points ahead of eighth-place Vancouver and a win here will secure them fifth place, while a draw or loss could see them drop to seventh, where they will face one of the LA clubs in the postseason must.

In their last game Ben OlsenThe St. Louis team suffered a surprising 3-0 defeat on the road, marking their second consecutive road defeat following a 2-1 home win against New England earlier in the month.

This win against the Revs was the Dynamo's fourth unbeaten game at Shell Energy Stadium (W2 D2 L0), while they have suffered just one loss in their last 11 games at the venue, against Toronto in August.

While the hosts would probably love nothing more than to deny their upcoming opponents a place at the top, they have failed to beat Galaxy in their last two attempts, with their last meeting this season ending in a 2-1 away defeat.

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As we approach the final day of a captivating regular season, the LA Galaxy and their bitter rival Los Angeles FC stand alone at the top of the Western Conference.

For the Galaxy, the equation is simple: win or draw this game and they will secure first place. However, if they fail to do so and LAFC win their game, the top spot will be determined by a goal difference tiebreaker.

The way it looks Greg VanneyThe Barcelona team are two goals better off than their city rivals, who have arguably the best game they could have hoped for on decider day, at home against basement club San Jose.

Nevertheless, Los Galacticos are still the favorites to finish at the top of the Western Conference and come into this game with a three-game winning streak and 15 goals in their last five league games alone.

The only concern for the visitors here is that their away record of late has been less than ideal. They suffered three defeats in their last four away games, while they only won three of their last eleven games.

Houston Dynamo Major League Soccer form:

Team news

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Last week in Houston, the already long absentee list was expanded Franco Escobar received a second yellow card 10 minutes before the final whistle in the loss to St. Louis.

The Argentine right-back will therefore sit out this game along with other players Daniel Steres, Amine Bassi, Hector Herrera, Lawrence Ennali And Nelson Quinonesall of whom are out due to injuries.

Galaxy will also be missing one player due to a suspension for this game: Mark Delgadowho exceeded the yellow card ban limit in the team's win over Austin before the international break.

As far as absences due to injury are concerned, Martin Caceres is likely to miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury while he is a former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus is marked as doubtful due to a hamstring strain.

Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Clark; Dorsey, Sviatchenko, Bartlow, Schmitt; Carrasquilla, Arthur, Raines; Aliyu, Ponce, Kowalczyk

Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Yamane, Garces, Yoshida, Nelson; Cerrillo, Brugman, Puig; Pec, Joveljic, Paintsil

We say: Houston Dynamo 2-2 Los Angeles Galaxy

LA Galaxy have already had some crucial results this season and although their away record makes us doubt whether they will win this game, we feel they will do enough to avoid defeat and secure top spot to secure in the West.

For data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this game, please click here.

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